Rapid changeover arrangement for a group of rolling mill stands in continuous rolling mill lines



A. RAPID CHANGEOVER ARRANGEMENT FOR A GROUP OF ROLLING NOV. 4, 1969 BlER MILL STANDS IN CONTINUOUS ROLLING MILL LINES Filed Nov. 17, 1966 Fig. 2

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@Si U3 ff @@@Llll 5:3 il Figa E E El E United States Patent 3,475,939 RAPID CHANGEOVER ARRANGEMENT FOR A GROUP OF ROLLING MILL STANDS IN CON- TINUOUS ROLLING MILL LINES Albert Bier, St. Ingbert, Saar, Germany, assignor to Moeller & Neuman G.m.b.H., St. Ingbert, Saar, Germany Filed Nov. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 595,172 Int. Cl. B21b 31/08 U.S. Cl. 72-239 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rapid change-over arrangement for a group of rolling mill stands in a continuous rolling mill which includes an inner movable platform and an outer stationary platform, the platforms having transversely extending rails defining stand areas and arranged in laterally spaced, parallel relationship with the rolling mill pass line.

The invention relates to a rapid change-over arrangement for a group of rolling mill stands in continuous rolling mill lines wherein the distance between the rolling mill stands is smaller than the width of the stands and including platforms placed side by side and carrying rails defining roll stand areas for receiving the changeover stands brought to the mill pass line and ready for use, and for receiving the stands to be exchanged while moving into position the ready changeover stands, the platform mounted directly adjacent the mill pass line being constructed as a changeover carriage which is movable parallel to the rolling direction and is extended by an additional free rolling mill stand eld or area, one platform receiving the even numbered stands while the other platform receives the uneven numbered stands. A similar rapid changeover arrangement is known which provides two directly adjacent changeover carriages. The expense of two arrangements for the two changeover carriages is accepted because the use of a double-width changeover carriage produces during two return processes idle periods for the inserting and withdrawing devices of the rolling mill stands.

According to the invention the outer platform is made stationary so that the process is carried out only with one inner changeover carriage. This method saves not only a moving unit for a platform but it also provides a constellation in which the inserting and withdrawing processes for all the stand positions may take place simultaneously so that a complete stand change of the rolling mill group requires only one forward and one rearward movement of the inner change-over carriage and the time for moving an outer change-over carriage and the subsequent moving into position of change-over stands is eliminated.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularily in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a group of six rolling mill stands in the operating position together with a rapid change-over arrangement in accordance with the invention shown prior to the change-over operation;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 with certain details omitted for clarity showing the rst step of the changeover operation for replacing the six operating stands of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the second step of the change-over operation;

FIGURE 4 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 showing the third step in the change-over operation;

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FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the fourth step in the change-over operation; and

FIGURE 6 is the last step in the change-over operation wherein all of the original stands have been replaced by the change-over stands.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 wherein a plurality of rolling mill stands 1-6 are shown diagrammatically in a continuous rolling mill pass line 7 for performing a continuous rolling operation on work to be processed in the rolling mill. As will be noted, the rolling mill stands 1-6 which are to be replaced in accordance with the changeover arrangement of the invention, are positioned in closely spaced relationship along the mill pass line 7 and are arranged for movement transversely of the mill pass line 7 on pairs of rails 9. As will be explained hereinafter, the stands 1-6 are to be replaced in the shortest possible time utilizing the arrangement of the invention with changeover rolling mill stands '-6' which have been previously prepared in the workshop.

The change-over arrangement of the invention comprises an inner movable platform or change-over carriage 8 arranged in laterally spaced, parallel relationship with the mill pass line 7 on one side of the group of stands 1-6 for reciprocating movement in a direction parallel to the mill pass line 7. Preferably, the movable platform 8 is mounted for such movement by means of rollers (not shown) on a pair of rails 10 as shown in FIGURE 1. The inner platform 8 is provided with a plurality `of pairs of rails 11 extending transversely to the mill pass line 7 as shown and each of the pairs of rails define roll stand areas shown diagrammatically by means of broken lines of rectangular shape and arranged in uniform, longitudinally spaced relationship corresponding to the spacing of the stands 1-6.

The change-over arrangement of the invention also includes an outer stationary platform 12 arranged in laterally spaced, parallel relationship with the inner movable platform or carriage 8. The outer platform 12 is similarly provided with a plurality of pairs of rails 13 which extend transversely to the mill pass line 7 and which define roll stand areas shown diagrammatically by broken lines of rectangular shape and arranged in uniform, longitudinally spaced relationship corresponding to the spacing of the stands 1-6. Thus, the stand areas of the platforms 8, 12 together with the pairs of rails 11, 13 are arranged in transverse alignment with the stands 1-6 and rails 9 as shown for movement of the stands 1-6 onto'and across the movable platform 8 and onto the stationary platform 12.

In accordance with the invention, the inner movable platform 8 includes at least one additional stand area in excess of the number of stands 1-6 and therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, seven stand areas are provided on the inner platform 8 for the six stands 1-6 in the mill pass line 7.

The diagram of the movements applicable for the rapid change-over arrangement according to the invention is shown in the drawing in which the stands 1 through 6 to be replaced and shown in numerical sequence are indicated as square areas lined up in the direction of the mill pass line 7. In the embodiment shown the changeover carriage' 8 receives the uneven numbered rolling mill stands 1', 3' and 5 and the stationary platform 12 receives the alternate or even numbered change-over stands 2', 4 and 6'. Between the uneven numbered stands 1', 3 and 5 of the change-over carriage 8, a free stands area is left in order to be able to move the stands 1, 3 and 5 over the changeover carriage `8 to the stationary platform 12. Seen in the rolling direction two open areas are provided behind the change-over stand 5. This is accomplished by providing the change-over carriage 8 with an additional stand area having rails 11, i.e., at least one more stand area than the number of stands 1-6 in the mill pass line `which are to be replaced. On the platform 12, the provision of a single free area in front of the changeover stand 2 is sufficient. The starting position prepared in this manner is shown in FIGURE 1. From FIGURE 2 it may be seen that with the same position of the changeover carriage 8, the stands 1, 3 and 5 are moved over the changeover carriage 8 t the open areas of the platform 12. Thereafter the change-over carriage 8 is moved by the amount of the central projection of the stands in the direction of the arrow B to move the stand areas on the carriage 8 into alignment with the next succeeding stand on the mill pass line 7. Due to the fact that in this position of the change-over carriage 8, e'ach open space of the change-over carriage is faced by a stand in the mill pass line and each open stand area inside of the mill pass line by a change-over stand on the change-over carriage 8 it is now possible to move simultaneously the rolling mill stands 2, 4 and 6 on the change-over carriage and the replacement stands 1', 3 and 5' into the mill pass line, as shown in FIGURE 4.

After this procedure the change-over carriage 8 is returned by the amount of the central projection of the stands to move the stand areas on the carriage 8 into alignment with the next preceding stand on the mill pass line 7, in the direction of the arrow C back into the starting position of FIGURE 1, as shown in FIGURE 5, and thereafter the change-over stands 2', 4 and 6 are moved from the platform 12 over the' open stand areas of the change-over carriage 8 into the mill pass line 7. In the case of a rapid change-over arrangement in which the movements of the rolling mill stands into and out of the mill pass line are carried out by mechanical power means, the stroke' of the apparatus providing in and out movements must extend at all the stand areas over both platforms.

What is claimed is:

1. A rapid change-over arrangement for a group of rolling mill stands in a continuous rolling mill pass line arranged in uniformly spaced apart relationship at intervals less than the width of said stands comprising, in combination, a plurality of pairs of rails for supporting said stands for movement transversely to said mill pass line, an inner movable platform arranged in laterally spaced, parallel relationship with said mill pass line on one side of said group of stands for movement in a direction parallel to said mill pass line, said inner platform having a plurality of pairs of rails extending transversely to said mill pass line, each of said pairs of rails defining roll stand areas arranged in longitudinally spaced relationship corresponding to the spacing of the stands in said group, an outer stationary platform arranged in laterally spaced, parallel relationship with said inner movable platform, said outer platform having a plurality of pairs of rails extending transversely to said mill pass line and defining roll stand areas arranged in longitudinally spaced relationship corresponding to the spacing of the stands in said group, said inner platform including at least one additional stand area in excess of the number of stands in said group, said inner platform being arranged for sequential forward and rearward movement to position a corresponding number of stand are'as on said inner platform in alignment with the stands in said group and said outer platform stand areas and to position an excess stand area alternately at opposite ends of the aligned stand areas on said inner platform thereby permitting rapid replacement of said group of stands with changeover stands positioned on said inner and outer platforms by transverse movement of said stands on said rails.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,180,125 4/1965 OBrien 72-239 3,217,526 ll/l965 Wilson et al. 72-239 3,221,530 12/1965 Swallow et al. 72-239 3,306,090 2/1967 Vom Dorp et al. 72--239 3,328,973 7/1967 Scheib 72-239 3,355,923 12/1967 Gillet 72-238 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,348,169 11/1963 France.

MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner 

